Method and device for mending skin openings

ABSTRACT

A zipper-type wound closer attachable to the skin around a skin opening and zipped closed to pull the skin opening closed. The wound closer includes two elongated connecting strips whose feet are pre-coated with adhesive and attached to the skin around the skin opening. The edges of the wound are trimmed flush with the interior sides of connecting strips, and the strips are then zipped together by moving a slider along the connecting strips to join the strips together like a familiar zipper. The wound zipper forms a continuous, toothless seam to prevent seepage of fluid through the seam. By holding the freshly trimmed edges of the skin opening together immobile in a clean, firm, closely aligned connection, the wound closer recreates the conditions under which scar-free healing of the skin can occur naturally; useful for repairing wounds and removing existing scars.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to medical devices and, more particularly,to a method and device for closing and promoting scar-free healing ofskin openings, such as cuts, wounds and surgical incisions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is an observable fact that some skin wounds leave scars while othersheal leaving minimal scars or no visible scar at all. Even apparentlyserious wounds, such as a deeply cut finger or a puncture wound throughthe flesh, sometimes heal without leaving any scar detectable to thenaked eye. In some cases, even the closest inspection only a short timeafterwards shows no trace of the wound. To prove this assertion, it issufficient to closely inspect one's own fingers where a cut was known tohave occurred some time ago, and be unable to find a scar. This can alsobe demonstrated by stabbing a fleshy part with the point of a scalpel orlance, as is sometimes done by spring loaded lances used to producebleeding for coagulation or blood sugar tests, and then attempting tofind the cut area some two or three weeks later. Further, most cleanneedle injections leave no trace some time afterwards, although the skinwas cut by the end of the needle (needle tips are constructed as smallblades that actually cut the skin).

However, it is equally observable that some injuries and operations,such as surgical intervention for abdominal or thoracic problems,usually do leave unsightly and sometimes disfiguring scars. Scars fromthyroid operations and breast reduction or enlargement surgery are seenas both practically inevitable and particularly unsightly. In mostcases, coming out from a major laceration or surgical operation withouta disfiguring scar is a rarity. It is an observable fact that in thecase of many injuries and most operations, by the time the wound isclosed and the skin joined back together, the edges of the skin havebeen handled or exposed to air for some time, often hours, and have longago ceased to bleed, which indicates that the blood supply to the edgesof the skin has been closed off. In effect, after a wound has been openlong enough for the bleeding at the edges of the skin to have stoppednaturally, the edges of the wound are bordered by dead tissue that isnot receiving a blood supply.

In fact, it is almost always part of surgical procedure to “stop thebleeding” using various measures designed to stop the bleeding that doesoccur. These procedures can include cauterization (burning), which mostdefinitely produces an area of dead tissue wherever it is applied to thewound. Thus, with accepted standard surgical practices, the edges of theskin opening that are not bleeding and hence are no long truly “alive,”are joined together when the wound is closed with stitches or staples.In the state in which the wound is left to heal, the finished repairoften resembles a series of hills and valleys. Where staples are used,it is not even the dried edges of the skin that are held together, butthe undersides of the two edges of skin, which do not normally touch oneanother (in the absence of such a procedure), that are held to oneanother by the staples. When a wound is left to heal in this state, ascar always does occur and is often dramatic. All too often, when thestaples are removed, an unsightly ridge of fibrous tissue is left aspart of the unsightly scar. Despite known situations in which skinopenings can and do heal naturally and invisibly under certaincircumstances, conventional medical wisdom accepts that other woundscannot heal without leaving significant, permanent and often disfiguringscars.

Hence, there remains a need for an effective and inexpensive method anddevice by which skin openings, such as cuts, wounds and surgicalincisions, can routinely be closed in such a manner as to create theconditions under which nature routinely proves its ability to producescar-free healing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the needs described above in a wound closerthat makes it quick and easy to create the conditions under which thebody is capable of scar-free healing. The wound closer includes a firstelongated connecting strip configured to adhere to the skin on a firstside of a skin opening. The first connecting strip has a first innerface configured to permit a knife to pass along the first inner face totrim the skin adhered to the first connecting strip flush with the firstinner face. The wound closer also includes a second elongated connectingstrip configured to adhere to the skin on a second side of the skinopening. The second connecting strip has a second inner face configuredto permit a knife to pass along the second inner face to trim the skinadhered to the second connecting strip flush with the second inner face.To close the skin opening, the wound closer has a slider that slidesalong the first and second connecting strips to zip the connectingstrips together to form a seam with the first inner face held adjacentto the second inner face and the skin trimmed along the first and secondinner faces held together in a butt-joined relation to promote scar-freehealing of the skin opening.

In those wounds that heal naturally and unaided and are yet invisibleafter they have healed, three observable conditions exist. The firstcondition is that the edges of the skin, while they are cut, are nototherwise damaged, and it may be presumed that those cells at the veryedge of the wound are alive and well. Additionally, the edge bleedsprofusely, showing that it has a good operating blood supply, somethingthat might be supposed to be desirable or necessary for good healing andwithout which the cells at the two edges of the wound cannot be wellnourished and survive well. The second observable condition of woundsthat heal invisibly is that the edges of the wound very neatly butt-joinone another without ridges, bumps or gaps, much as two preciselyparallel pieces of wood can be placed together edge to edge and resultin a join that is almost invisible. If any surface blood is wiped awayfrom such a fresh and neatly joined wound, the joint is sufficientlyprecise that it is difficult to even see the wound in the absence ofblood seepage. Thirdly it is observable that little or no movementoccurs between the joined cut skin edges while healing is occurring.Where these three conditions occur naturally—(1) fresh, clean,undamaged, bleeding edges to the wound that are (2) neatly butt-joinedto one another with (3) little movement during healing—for example, asin a finger being quite deeply cut with a razor blade—if the blood iswiped away from the cut, it can be difficult to see the cut even thoughit only happened seconds ago, indicating that there is a very good joinbetween the two cut and bleeding (alive) edges, and further indicatingthat the edges of the cut closely mate with one another in a very fineline and it is observable that the cut edges are still in relation toone another—there is little or no movement occurring between the joiningedges. After a few days, wounds that heal under these conditions areoften undetectable to the naked eye.

Experiment has shown that conventional wisdom is not correct and thatthe conditions required for scar-free healing can be produced albeitwith tedious manual procedures consisting of careful trimming andmicro-stitches combined with bigger and wider stress-relieving stitches.The wound closer of the present invention provides a relatively simpleand inexpensive but highly effective way to automate the creation ofthose conditions without the tedious manual processes used in the past.When the wound closer is used in its intended manner, it creates thevery same conditions that are known to result in scar-free healing withno medical intervention, and that are also known to result in scar-freehealing when intentionally reproduced mechanically.

To produce these same conditions, the wound closer is designed to mend awound and promote scar-free healing by 1) bringing together fresh andalive skin edges, 2) in a precise edge-to-edge butt joint to heal beforeclotting or drying or cell death has set in on the edges of the wound,and 3) holding the edges of the wound together in a neatly joinedrelationship without movement for long enough for healing to occur,these being the conditions under which the body is able to producescar-free healing naturally. No further manipulation or subsequentremoval of scar tissue is required. In view of the natural elasticability of the skin to stretch to a considerable extent, the woundcloser can be used to close skin openings from small to quite largesurgical incisions associated with major operations, such as abdominalsurgery or under conditions where skin loss has occurred. The woundcloser, therefore, represents a relatively simple and inexpensive devicethat is faster to use and less invasive than conventional stitching andwhich can be easily applied to wounds from small to quite large to closeskin openings in an manner that promotes scar-free healing. As such, theinvention represents a major and much needed breakthrough in skinclosing technology.

The invention solves the problems described above by using an elongated,self-adhesive and sometimes lozenge-shaped wound closer that is attachedwith suitable adhesive to the skin around the skin opening such that thewound itself and some skin (skin that must be undamaged) remain withinthe opening enclosed by the wound closer. Scar-free healing conditionsare created by trimming off the excess skin inside the wound closeropening, which also removes all dead and all damaged skin, by cuttingaway the skin along the inside edges of the wound closer, typically byusing a knife or blade that is guided by the wound closer itself or by aknife guide located on the wound closer. Immediately after trimming thewound, and without taking any measures to stop the bleeding, the woundcloser is zipped closed. The result is that newly cut edges of the skinare brought and held together by the wound closer in a clean, closelyaligned butt-joint connection between freshly trimmed (and hence alive)edges of the skin, thereby promoting scar-free healing of the skinopening.

The wound closer typically includes two elongated connecting strips eachwith significant flange surface covered with adhesive coating thatattaches to the skin adjacent to the skin opening and once attached, theedges of the wound are trimmed along the inner faces of the connectingstrips and flush with the inner faces of the connecting strips, and thestrips are then zipped together by moving a slider along the connectingstrips to join the strips together like a familiar zipper. This pullsthe skin opening closed under the joined wound closer, and the woundcloser preferably (when closed) forms a continuous, toothless seam toprevent seepage of fluid into the wound through the seam.

A first advantage is that the wound closer is faster and simpler andquicker to apply than stitching up a wound. Another advantage of thewound closer is that (because no deeply penetrating stitches arerequired) nerve blocking anesthetic injections required by stitching maynot be necessary and spray-on anaesthetic or anaesthetic embedded in theadhesive may suffice to enable painless trimming. Another advantage isthat it can produce wounds that repair with no visible scar, no matterthe length of time the wound has been open, nor the roughness of themanipulation to which the skin bordering the wound has been subject. Inthe case of females with facial wounds, this advantage is considerable.Another advantage is that the invention can theoretically be applied athome in the case of minor injuries (where no trimming is required toproduce wound edges that join precisely or when spray-on anesthetic oranesthetic embedded in the adhesive suffices) when such injuries wouldnormally require a trip to the doctor and stitching. Another advantageis that if packaged together with a local anesthetic patch, spray-onanesthetic, or adhesive strip embedded anesthetic, a wound closer can beapplied by emergency personnel in difficult situations where no doctoris available.

A further advantage is that a suitably modified wound closer, withouttrimming the skin, can be used to hold wounds closed in emergencysituations, and help stop bleeding by closing the edges firmly, whichcan sometimes be difficult to do with bandage systems. Another advantageis that the wound closer can be removed by anyone and does not require asecond trip to the doctor to “remove the stitches” a procedure that canalso be painful. A further advantage is that stitches that are normallyused penetrate the skin sometimes themselves become infected, but sincethe wound closer does not penetrate the skin this risk is avoided. Afurther advantage of this invention is that existing scars can beremoved by using a big enough wound closer to enclose the skin with thescar in it, then cutting out the skin containing the scar in thestandard manner described above and then closing the wound closer.Another advantage of the method is that it permits wound closers to bemanufactured in various shapes to confirm to curvatures of the body suchas over an eyebrow, or curved wounds, such as commonly occurring round anipple as a result of breast surgery. Another advantage of the inventionis that it permits wound closers to be manufactured in differentconfigurations such as one-piece units pre-joined at the ends completewith zipping device, or as continuous strips on reels that can be cut tolength required, and then separated as required to provide a long enoughopening for the wound in question (and then used with a separate closingtool), or as wound zips with narrower or wider feet and hence larger orsmaller adhesive surfaces to suit the anticipated skin stress at therepair site.

Generally described, the invention may be practiced as a wound closerthat may optionally include an associated knife or knife blade thatfunction together as a method for closing wounds quickly and easilydoing so in a fashion to promote scar-free healing of a skin opening.The wound closer includes a first elongated connecting strip whose footcarries a first adhesive surface, a second elongated connecting stripwhose foot carries a second adhesive surface, and a slider configured toslide along the first and second connecting strips to zip the connectingstrips together. The first and second adhesive surfaces are configuredto adhere to the skin adjacent to the skin opening and pull the skinopening closed as the slider zips the connecting strips together in amanner similar to that which occurs with zip-lock bags, but in this caseas a permanent one-time closure. The connecting strips, when zippedtogether, preferably form a continuous, toothless water-tight seam toprevent seepage of fluid through the seam. The connecting strips mayconnected directly to the skin or they may be carried on an adhesivebandage having a width selected to be suitable for the particular woundto be closed.

The wound closer may be configured to work with a specially designedknife or knife blade, which is configured to slide along a knife guidedisposed along the interior edge of the connecting strip. While trimmingmay be done with an ordinary scalpel using the foot of the connectingstrip as a guide, the optional specially designed knife or knife bladeensures that the skin can be trimmed with the necessary closeness to theinside face of the connecting strip, without at the same time cuttingand damaging the connecting strip itself. More specifically, the knifeguide may be configured to receive a guide follower on a knife or knifeblade that is specially designed to be used in connection with the knifeguide and has the effect of both regulating the depth of the cut, andcutting the skin flush with the inward-looking face of the connectingstrip. For example, the knife guide may be an elongated channelextending along the connecting strip, and the guide follower may be atab configured to be received within and slide along the channel. Inaddition, each connecting strip or a bandage adhered to the connectingstrip (or both) may be formed from a microporous substrate configured toallow passage of air and block inward passage of potentiallycontaminating liquids, and either or both may carry an impregnatedantibiotic, anaesthetic or other medically active substances.

To close and promote scar-free healing of an opening in living skintissue, a wound closer is adhered to the skin around the opening.Specifically, the first elongated connecting strip is adhered to theskin adjacent to a first side of the skin opening, and the secondelongated connecting strip adhered to the skin adjacent to a second sideof the skin opening. A knife is then used to trim the skin along andflush with the inner edges of the first and second connecting strips.Very promptly after trimming, and without first stopping the bleedingthat results from trimming, the connecting strips are zipped together bysliding the slider along the connecting strips to fasten the connectingstrips to each other and thereby pull the skin opening closed. Tofurther secure the seam formed by the connecting strips, a seam sealermay be used to clamp or set or cure an adhesive in the seam. Forexample, an adhesive may be deployed in the seam that cures or sets inresponse to energy applied to the seam, for example by an electricalsealing device that may be slid along the seam or by a device thatapplies UV or microwave energy to the seam to cause the adhesive to set.However, any such energy source used in additional sealing should be soconfigured so as to avoid delivering damaging energy to the wound itselfand causing (for example) undesirable blood coagulation or other wounddamage. Additionally, the adhesive or the substance of the wound closeritself, or both may be constructed so as to change the color in responseto passage of time (indicating the wound is healed) or to closing thewound closer properly, or to energy applied to the adhesive indicatingthe adhesive is cured and set, or to any of these, or differently to anyselection of these.

In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the presentinvention provides a cost effective and rapid wound closing device forclosing wounds and promoting scar-free healing of skin openings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a wound closer that includes elongatedconnecting strips adhered to the skin around an untrimmed wound and aslider for zipping the strips together.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the wound closer after the skin has beentrimmed.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the wound closer after the connecting stripshave been partially closed.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the wound closer after the connecting stripshave been fully closed.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the wound closer after the connecting stripshave been fully closed and clamps have been added to strengthen theseam.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the wound closer after the connecting stripshave been fully closed and a seam sealer has been partially applied toseal the seam.

FIG. 7 is a top view of an alternative wound closer that has alreadybeen closed and is carried on an adhesive bandage.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the slider of the wound closer.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the seam sealer.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting strips of the woundcloser that is attached to a bandage in this case.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a skin trimming knife configured to work inassociation with the wound closer.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the wound closer applied to theskin with the knife positioned to trim the skin along one of theconnecting strips.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the wound closer applied to theskin around a skin opening after trimming.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the wound closer and slider afterthe wound closer has been zipped to pull the skin opening closed.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the wound closer after the woundcloser has been zipped to pull the skin opening closed and the sliderremoved.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the wound closer and slider afterthe wound closer has been zipped, the slider removed, and a clampapplied to the seam.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention may be embodied in a zipper-type wound closerknown as the WoundZip™, which is used to close skin openings, such ascuts, wounds and surgical incisions. The wound closer, which istypically supplied sterilized in a sterile package, consists of a pairof hard but pliable joinable connecting strips that form a zipper thatcan be joined together by moving a slider along the connecting strips.The connecting strips include adhesive coated flange surfaces thatenable the connecting strips to be adhered to the skin surrounding thewound. As an alternative to provide additional surface for skinadhesion, the connecting strips may be adhered to and carried on asuitably sized adhesive bandage. In either configuration, the connectingstrips are adhered sufficiently firmly to the skin to allow the woundcloser to pull the skin opening closed, and hold the edges of the skinopening together at a neat, freshly cut butt-joint, for a sufficientperiod of time, typically several days to 2 weeks, to promote scar-freehealing.

The preferred zipper is a durable, firm plastic structure that forms acontinuous, water-tight, toothless seam that protects the wound fromblows, prevents flexing that could break the healing-in-progress andacts to prevent fluids from reaching the wound through the seam. Whenused properly, the wound closer brings the skin opening together in amanner that reproduces the conditions needed to allow natural healingprocesses to produce invisible, scar-free repair of cuts and wounds,without disfiguring scars that occur in the state of the art andcharacterize wounds from minor or major injury or surgical operations.

In practical use, prior to using the wound closer, the area concerned islocally anaesthetized in an appropriate manner (unless the wound closeris constructed to be self-anaesthetizing), all foreign matter and hairis removed and the surrounding skin and the wound itself are cleaned anddisinfected as per usual practice preparatory to stitching. The woundcloser is then removed from its sterile packing and attached to the skinaround the wound so as to enclose the wound within the elongated openingbetween the connecting strips. The skin is then trimmed flush to theinternal edges of the connecting strips of the wound closer. Withoutusing any measures to stop bleeding, the two halves of the wound closerare immediately locked together by pulling the closing slider down thelength of the wound closer (while holding the pull tab to prevent thewound closer from moving) thereby zipping the two halves of the woundcloser together, and hence bring the freshly trimmed edges of the skinopening together also without need to use stitches, and bringing themtogether as a clean, well aligned seam and then holding them in thatcorrect relationship long enough to enable scar-free invisible healingto occur naturally.

Describing the invention in further detail, the wound closer consists ofpaired connecting strips that are separated from one another except ateither end where they are already joined together (with the sliderlocated at one end) thereby leaving an elongated opening that can bepositioned so as to surround the cut to be closed. The vertical interiorfaces of the connecting strips that touch one another when the woundcloser is closed, together with the construction and substance of thewound closer itself are such that, when closed, the connecting stripshold the two halves of the trimmed wound (and hence the skin attached tothem) flat in relation to one another. The connecting strips of thewound closer may also be provided with drainage channels and may also beconstructed with a suitable opening though which a drainage tube maypass, so that most of a wound may heal, while a drainage tube passesthrough part of the wound to drain fluids from the interior of the body.The wound closer may also be placed over a drainage tube, which is heldfirmly in place by a suitably constructed wound closer. Once the drainis removed, the drain hole may be closed by using another wound closerin the described manner.

Both sides of the molded connecting strips have a lower flat surface orfoot that is presented to the skin which is covered by a strong adhesive(protected by a film that is removed prior to use). The foot has to bewide enough and the adhesive used strong enough to pull the skin openingclosed as the connecting strips are zipped together. From the time thewound closer is closed, the adhesive must then be strong and durableenough both to hold the wound closed for the seven to ten days healingrequires, and also to transmit the sheering or other forces to which thesurrounding skin is subject entirely to the wound closer itself so thatthe wound closer can protect the wound that is healing from forces thatcould break the natural repair that occurs and so prevent the scar-freehealing. With an adequate adhesive, the wound closer can then protectthe wound and, for a sufficiently long period of time, consistently holdthe edges of the healing skin in a stress-free zone, in the preciserelationship they need, long enough for them to heal without a visiblescar.

Once the wound has had time to heal, the adhesive must be such that thewound closer can be removed (without unzipping it or tearing the skin orthe newly-closed wound) potentially with a suitable solvent to dissolvethe adhesive. The adhesive may also be so constructed as to deteriorateautomatically so that the wound closer comes off of its own accord aftera suitable healing period. Adhesives similar to those used on typicalmedical bandages and tapes are believed to be suitable for thesepurposes. Optionally the adhesive surfaces of the wound closer or thebandage to which it is attached, or both may be impregnated with asterilizer, an antibiotic or any other appropriate substances includingdrugs such as pain killers or a short-lived local anesthetic to enablethe skin to be painlessly trimmed as described.

Immediately before closing the skin opening, a knife is used to trim theskin adjacent to and flush along the length of the inside edge of eachconnecting strip, typically by sliding a knife or knife blade along eachconnecting strip with is then additionally acting as a knife guide.Optionally the wound closer works with a specially designed knife ortrimming scalpel blade that has a protruding guide follower, such as atab, that engages in a guide, such as a slot, along the interior side ofboth connecting strips of the wound closer. The depth of bladeprotruding below the guide is such that the blade is long enough to cutthe skin but not underlying tissues and as a result the guide and guidefollower result in the skin being cut to a suitable depth, and cut closeand flush to the connecting strip, without cutting and damaging theconnecting strip itself. Different blades can be provided, or the bladelength can be adjusted, so that the blade protrudes enough beyond theguide for particular thicknesses of skin. The blade handle may be astandard scalpel blade holder or a specially designed blade may besupported in a molded, single-use, scalpel-like structure. Regardless ofthe knife configuration, the blade is used to trim the skin flush withthe interior edges of the wound closer without cutting or damaging theinterior edges of the wound closer itself. In this way, the skin isnewly and cleanly cut and trimmed to match the interior edges of thewound closer immediately prior to closing. This trimming removes all thedead skin at the edge of the wound and all teeth or indents and alldamaged skin at the edges of the wound and leaves the edges of the woundas even and gently curved lines ready to be held together in a neatbutt-joined manner when the wound closer is closed, much as the twoedges of two pieces of wood to be glued are smoothed to remove ridges orgaps before gluing them together.

When trimming is completed the connecting strips of the wound closer arethen promptly brought together to close the skin opening before bloodclotting or skin edge drying occurs (and without taking any measures toprevent or stop bleeding from the freshly cut edges); the connectingstrips are closed together by pulling the pommel that is attached by atether to the closing slider (or by using a similarly configured closingtool), while holding firmly a flexible pull tab at the opposite end ofthe wound closer, so as to prevent the wound-zip from moving as theslider is being pulled to close the wound closer. As the slider movesalong the top portions of the two halves of the wound closer it joinsthem together in a similar fashion to the way that the edges of a ziplock bag join together by pressing them together so that the male andfemale halves engage one another and hold one another firmly together.The slider is pulled until the slider comes completely off, and the pulltab is then cut or torn off the wound closer. Once the wound has hadsufficient time to heal the wound closer is removed.

In general, the wound closer used as described above reproduces theconditions that allow natural scar-free healing processes to take place.It will be appreciated that the wound closer can be made in differentsizes, lengths and shapes so as to be suitable for different regions ofhuman or animal bodies, and to be suitable for different purposes andsuitable to absorb different levels of skin sheering or other stressthat may be expected to occur in different bodily regions, the principlealways being that the size and strength of the wound closer and itsadhesive are together adequate to hold the edges of the wound immobilein relation to one another while they heal.

In alternative embodiments, the connecting strips for the wound closersmay be made in male and female halves on separate reels or pre-joined ona single reel and cut to the length on an as-needed basis. In thisembodiment, male and female strips are applied to the sides of the woundto be healed, and then the skin of the wound trimmed in the manneralready described, close to the interior face each of the two woundconnecter strips. In this case, a closing tool that has a closing slidermounted on a handle is used to close the two halves together. If a highamount of stress across the wound zip is to be anticipated, one or moreclamps may be put in place by a suitable tool and spaced out along thelength of the connecting strips to reinforce the seam of the woundcloser.

In another alternative embodiment, particularly where high stress orsheering levels might occur to the wound area, stress may be spread overlarge areas by using the wound closer in combination with a suitablydesigned self-adhesive bandage, so that the wound closer is adhered tothe bandage and then the bandage, with wound closer attached, is itselfadhered to a large skin area round the wound. In this embodiment, a maleconnecting strip is adhered in a preparation stage to a speciallyprepared edge of an appropriately designed bandage, and a femaleconnecting strip is adhered in a preparation stage to the upper edge ofanother piece of the same bandage, and then the ends of the connectingstrips are closed together with a closing tool so as to leave a gap inthe middle, finally applying this assembly to the wound and trimming andclosing the wound as previously described.

The wound closer can also be adapted for use to join materials otherthan living skin edge-to-edge, so as to repair cuts or join edges offlexible materials such as upholstery or inflatable mattresses and tojoin both flexible and rigid materials edge-to-edge on a temporary orpermanent basis. In this embodiment, adhesives of different typessubstitute for and replace the natural healing properties of skin. Inone such embodiment, with suitable adhesives, the wound closer devicecan be used to repair cuts or rents in flexible materials such asupholstery, canvas canopies on boats or convertible automobile tops, orinflatable mattresses, or plastic pools, to name just a few examples.The wound closer may either be left in place as a neat looking repairdevice or used on a temporary basis as a clamp to hold materialstogether while an adhesive sets. The wound closer may be an attractivealternative to normal repair methods, such as an unsightly patches orstitches, and may perform better because the wound closer provides abetter way to hold the edges together in the correct relationship whilethe adhesive sets in the very area represented by the two edges to bejoined. The wound closer invention enables such joins to be made byholding the flexible edges of material to be joined in the correctrelationship for long enough for the joining agent or joining processesto work.

The wound closer can also be used in construction, for example to joinflexible materials such as panels of a tent, or even non-flexiblematerials such as wall panels of a display stand. Wound closers ofvarious designs can be used to join panels of material either on atemporary or permanent basis.

Turning now to the figures, in which like numerals refer to likeelements throughout the figures, FIGS. 1-4 are a series of top views ofa wound closer 10 illustrating use of the wound closer to close a skinopening and promote scar-free healing. Referring to FIG. 1, the woundcloser 10 includes a first and second connecting strips 12, 14 that arezipped together by a slider 16 in a manner that is similar to a familiarzipper or zip-lock bag. The first connecting strip 12 includes a zipfastener (shown in more detail in FIG. 10) carried on a relatively widefirst flange 13 that is configured to be adhered to the skin in areaaround a wound. Similarly, the second connecting strip 14 includes a zipfastener carried on a second flange 15. The slider 16 can be moved alongthe connecting strips 12, 14 from a proximal end 25 to a distal end 26to zip the connecting strips so as to join the zip fasteners to eachother. A tether 18 connected to a pommel 20 may be connected to theslider 16 to facilitate gently pulling the slider along the connectingstrips. The wound closer also includes a removable pull tab or handle 22to hold the proximal end 25 of the wound closer in position while theslider 16 is pulled along the length of the connecting strips toward thedistal end 26 to zip the wound closing device closed.

The connecting strips 12, 14 are typically joined together to form shortlengths of joined connecting strips at the proximal and distal ends 25,26, with the connecting strips separated from each other along thelength between these ends. The slider 16 may be fed onto the proximalend 25 of the connecting strips 12, 14 before the strips are adhered tothe skin. The connecting strips 12, 14 are then adhered to the skin 30around the wound 32. The skin 30 that is inside the wound closer openingis then trimmed along the inner edges of the opening formed by theconnecting strips 12, 14, as shown in FIG. 2, to create clean, freshlycut edges of the skin that can be neatly butt-joined to promotescar-free healing by zipping the would closer. As shown in thetransitions from FIG. 2 to FIG. 3 and then to FIG. 4, promptly aftertrimming the skin, the slider 16 is pulled from the proximal end 25along the length of the connecting strips 12, 14, typically all the wayoff the distal end 26 of the connecting strips. The pull tab 22 is thencut or snapped away from the connecting strip to leave the neatly zippedseam shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 5, to strengthen the zipped seam of the wound closer10 after closing, one or more mechanical clamps 36 a-n may be fastenedto the seam. For example, these clamps may be small metal clips orstaples crimped to the seam with a hand-held stapler or crimping pliers.Alternatively, plastic clamps may be slid along the seam formed by theconnecting strips 12, 14 and then glued, melted, cured, tightened byheat shrink technique, or otherwise secured in place. Preferably, theclamps do not cut or pierce the seam, which could undermine thewater-tight and sterile condition of the closed seam.

In another alternative shown in FIG. 6 that some people may find to bemore attractive and less likely to snag on clothing, a seam sealer 40may be slid along the seam to set or cure an adhesive in the seam. Forexample, the seam sealer 40 may include an electric crimping device thatapplies heat and pressure to set the seam. The electric seam sealer mayplug into a household power outlet or be powered from internalbatteries, which would be suitable for closing wounds in the field. Forexample, a battery powered seam sealer would be suitable for deploymentin ambulances and other emergence first aid locations. Other types ofcuring devices, such as ultraviolet light or sonic curing mechanisms maybe used. The adhesive in the seam formed by the connecting strips 12, 14may also change color to indicate that the seam has been properly set orcured. This is particularly helpful with a heat sealing technique toindicate that the seam has been heated sufficiently to set the adhesive.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative wound closer 50, in which theconnecting strips 12, 14 are carried on adhesive bandages 52 thatprovide increased surface area for adhering to the skin. The connectingstrips of wound closer 50, with the adhesive bandages 52 underlying andextending well beyond the connecting strips, are adhered to the skin 30around a skin opening 32 and then zipped together to close the wound inthe same manner as described with reference to FIGS. 1-4. The adhesivebandage 52 may be treated with an antibiotic, an anesthetic or anothermedically useful substance, and may also be formed from a microporousmaterial that allows air to pass but serves as a moisture barrier.

FIG. 8 is an end view of an illustrative slider 16, which in thisexample includes a pair of aligned hemispherical protrusions that form acrimper 46 that pinches closed a zip connector in the seam formed by theconnecting strips 12, 14 as the slider moves along the connectingstrips. FIG. 9 is an end view of an illustrative seam sealer 40, whichin this example includes a metal slider pivotally mounted on a handle.In this particular example, the metal slider is electrically heated toform a heated crimper 48. This particular sealing technique is merelyillustrative and, as noted previously, other seam sealing techniques maybe employed. Nevertheless, it should be appreciated that theelectrically heated seam sealing 40 provides a relatively simple seamsealing technique that, together with an adhesive that changes colorwhen it has been heated sufficiently to set the adhesive, results in aninexpensive and effective system for creating continuous, water-tight,highly secure seams.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting strips 12, 14 of thewound closer. The first connecting strip 12 includes a relatively wideflange 13 and a female zip connector 62. The second connecting strip 14includes a relatively wide flange 15 and a male zip connector 64 that isaligned with the female zip connector 62. The first connecting strip 12also includes a first crimp receptacle 66 aligned with the female zipconnector 62, and the second connecting strip 14 includes a second crimpreceptacle 68 aligned with the male zip connector 64. The crimpreceptacles 66, 68 thus form a grove in which the crimper 46 of theslider 16 travels to pinch the male zip connectors 64 into the femalezip connectors 62 to form a continuous, water-tight seam joining theconnecting strips together. The clamps 36 a-n and the heated crimper 48are also generally shaped to fit into the grooves formed by the firstand second crimp receptacles 66, 68. The specific shape of the male andfemale zip connectors 64, 62, the first and second crimp receptacles 66,68, and the surrounding structures are merely illustrative and may beadjusted, as a matter of design choice, to create a suitable zipconnector. However, the structures shown are believed to be suitable forcreating an inexpensive and effective zip connector suitable for costeffective extrusion manufacturing in bulk. In the example shown in FIG.10, the connecting strip 12, 14 may each be extruded as a one piecemolding.

FIG. 10 shows the connecting strips 12, 14 positioned over wound thatincludes skin to be trimmed 70 prior to closing the wound. In thisparticular design, the height of the zip connector extending above thecrimp receptacles 66, 68 must be sufficient as to prevent the male andfemale zip connectors 62, 64 from separating when the underlying tissueexerts upwards or bending force on the flanges 13, 15. It is importantthat the edges of the skin remain in a neat butt joint after the woundcloser is closed. The construction of the would closer thereforeprevents upward pressure on either side of the wound closer from causingthe flanges 13, 15 to separate after closing.

FIG. 10 illustrates knife guides 72, 74 defined by the connecting strips12, 14, respectively, that cooperate with a specially designed knife 80shown in FIG. 11. In this particular example, the knife guide is achannel that extends along the connecting strip a constant distanceabove the bottom of the connecting strip. The knife guide is configuredto receive a guide follower, in this example a tab 84 on the knife 80,which is specifically designed to work with the knife guides 72, 74.FIG. 11 shows the illustrative knife 80, which includes a handle 82, aguide follower tab 84, and a blade 86. The blade may be of fixed lengthwith a variety of knives of different length provided, or the lengththat may be adjustable, for example with a worm gear.

The knife guides 72, 74 and guide follower 80 are one example of asuitable, reliable and inexpensive type of knife guide and cooperatingguide follower system. Other guide system may be employed. Inparticular, the knife guide may be any structure added to or formed aspart of the connecting strip used to guide a knife to cut the skinunderlying the connecting strip. For example, the knife guide can be anysuitable type of flat, beveled, rounded or eccentric shaped surface orchannel that conforms to the shape of a guide follower on the knife. Theguide follower may be as simple as the knife itself or a pair ofperpendicular abutment surfaces that slide along the top and innersurfaces of the connecting strip. The inner or top surface of theconnecting strip may also be shaped, with a cooperating shape providedon the guide follower, to provide additional registration between theguide and guide follower surfaces to enhance the guiding function. Manydifferent types of knife guides can be designed to work with anyappropriately configured guide follower.

The knife guide in combination with the knife follower ideally shouldprovide a positive surface interface that keeps the knife securelyagainst the connecting strip and precisely control the depth of the cutmade by the knife blade to ensure a smooth, clean trim of the skin tothe correct depth. The channel and tab system of the knife guides 72, 74and guide follower 84 produce the desired result, but other types ofguides may be employed as a matter of design choice. Sliding contactbetween the knife guide and guide follower, which can be aided by alubricant, will work well and provide for a low cost system. However,more sophisticated guides, such as those employing rolling contact orsupporting a laser or other type of cutting instrument may be employed.The important function of the knife guide and follower is to obtainsmooth, clean, freshly trimmed skin edges along and immediately belowthe connecting strips, which are then brought together in butt-joinedrelation by zipping the connecting strips together. The seam formed bythe connecting strips then become sealed, for example by an adhesive inthe seam or with the aid of clamps or a sealing device, to securelymaintain the skin edges in butt-joined relation throughout the healingprocess to promote scar-free healing of the skin opening.

FIG. 12 shows the knife 80 positioned in the knife guide 72 of the firstconnecting strip 12 for skin trimming. The relatively wide flanges 13,15 of the connecting strips 12, 14 are adhered to the skin with the skinopening positioned within the opening between the connecting strips. Theknife 80 shown in FIG. 11 is then used to trim the edges of the skin, asshown in FIGS. 12 and 13. To close the wound closer, the pommel 20 shownin FIG. 1 is pulled gently, while holding the pull tab 22, to move theslider 16 along the connecting strips 12, 14 to join them together byforcing the male zip connector 64 on the second connecting strip 14 intothe female zip connector 62 on the first connecting strip 12. Holdingthe pull tab 22 while zipping the wound closer helps keep the edgeconnectors taut and prevents the slider from pulling the connectingstrips away from the skin at the proximal end 25. FIG. 13 shows thewound after the skin has been trimmed to create a trimmed skin opening90. FIG. 14 shows the zipped wound closer 10 with the slider 16 locatedon the closing strips. FIG. 15 shows the zipped wound closer 10 afterthe slider 16 has been removed, and FIG. 16 shows the zipped woundcloser 10 after a clamp 36 has been installed.

The connecting strips 12, 14 can be made of any suitable plasticmaterial with appropriate hardness and flexibility, such as Nylon® orUrethane®, which may be impregnated with Teflon® on the surfaces of theclamp receptacles 66, 68 used by the slider 16 so to reduce surfacefriction when using the slider to close the connecting strips. Theslider 16 may be made from any suitable plastic, such as Acrylic orPolyethylene. The adhesive coating on the bottom surfaces of the flanges13, 15 of the wound closer may be impregnated with a suitableanaesthetic and an antibiotic or with other required drugs, and may beformed from a microporous substrate that serves as a moisture barrierwhile allowing air to pass to aid in healing the wound. In thealternative embodiment of FIG. 10, the adhesive bandages 52 may beimpregnated with a suitable anaesthetic and an antibiotic or with otherrequired drugs, and may be formed from a microporous substrate thatserves as a moisture barrier while allowing air to pass to aid inhealing the wound.

The connecting strips of the wound closer may also be manufactured inspecific shapes designed for specific surgeries. This may beparticularly useful for cosmetic and other common surgeries where theincisions are curved. For example, semicircular wound closers havingvarious diameters may be desirable for mending breast incisions alongthe edge of the nipple. Appropriately curved wound closers may also beprovided for repairing cosmetic surgery incisions along the eyebrow andother curved lines. Similarly, curved wound closers may be desirable formending curved incisions associated with knee and elbow surgeries.

In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that present inventionprovides significant improvements in wound closing methods and devices.It should be understood that the foregoing relates only to the exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, and that numerous changes may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the following claims.

1. A method for closing and promoting scar-free healing of an opening inliving skin tissue, comprising the steps of: providing a wound closerhaving a first elongated connecting strip with an inner face, a secondelongated connecting strip having a second inner face, and a sliderconfigured to slide along the first and second connecting strips to zipthe connecting strips together to with the first inner face heldadjacent to the second inner face; adhering the wound closer around theskin opening with the first elongated connecting strip adhered to theskin adjacent to a first side of the skin opening, the second elongatedconnecting strip adhered to the skin adjacent to a second side of theskin opening, and the first inner face opposing the second inner face;trimming the skin along the first connecting strip flush with the firstinner face; trimming the skin along the second connecting strip flushwith the second inner face; and promptly after trimming, zipping theconnecting strips together to pull the skin opening closed by slidingthe slider along the connecting strips to bring the first inner faceadjacent to the second inner face and fasten the connecting strips toeach other to form a seam holding the skin trimmed along the first andsecond inner faces together in a butt-joined relation to promotescar-free healing of the skin opening.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the steps of: providing a knife with a guide follower;providing a first knife guide disposed along the first connecting strip;trimming the skin along the first connecting strip by placing the guidefollower of the knife against the knife guide of the first connectingstrip and moving the knife along the first connecting strip whileholding the follower against the knife guide; providing a second knifeguide disposed along the second connecting strip; and a sliderconfigured to slide along the first and second connecting strips to zipthe connecting strips together which then remain closed together;trimming the skin along the second connecting strip by placing the guidefollower of the knife against the knife guide of the second connectingstrip and moving the knife along the second connecting strip whileholding the knife follower against the knife guide.
 3. The device ofclaim 2, further comprising the steps of: configuring each knife guideas an elongated channel extending along the connecting strip andconfiguring the guide follower as a tab configured to be received withinthe channel; providing one or both of an antibiotic or an anaestheticsubstance in the adhesive coating; and providing connecting strip thatcomprise a microporous substrate configured to allow passage of air andprevent seepage of fluid through the seam.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising the step of providing connecting strips that, whenzipped together, form a continuous, toothless water-tight seam toprevent seepage of fluid through the seam.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising the step of applying a seam sealer to clamp or set anadhesive in the seam.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising thestep of including one or more substances located in the seam formed bythe first and second connecting strips that changes color in response toa condition selected from the group comprising: the seam being properlyclosed; an adhesive in the seam being properly set; application ofenergy to cure an adhesive in the seam; and a passage of time sufficientfor wound is healed.
 7. The device of claim 1, further comprising thesteps of: affixing the connecting strips to an adhesive bandage;providing one or both of an antibiotic or an anaesthetic substance inthe adhesive coating; and providing connecting strip that comprise amicroporous substrate configured to allow passage of air and preventseepage of fluid through the seam.